Healthcare News

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Internet searching for health info growing, but not dominant

People still prefer to gather information related to personal health from sources other than the Internet, according to a survey by the Pew Internet Project in association with the California HealthCare Foundation.

21 Oct 2010

More groups challenge Democrats on health issues as GOP lays out repeal clues

Procedural motions that Republicans filed during the healthcare reform debate offer the best insights into which provisions of the law the party wants to repeal first, a top staffer for a senior House Republican told The Hill.

21 Oct 2010

Report finds shortage of Mass. physicians is getting worse

The Boston Herald: "The state's physician shortage is getting worse -- with many practices closed to new patients and a critical need for doctors in key specialties, according to a Massachusetts Medical Society report released today. ... The most acute need is for primary-care physicians who practice family or internal medicine. The study called the shortages in those two key areas 'critical.'

21 Oct 2010

NASA establishes Human Health and Performance Center

NASA has established a global forum for organizations interested in advancing human health and performance innovations in space and on Earth. NASA's Human Health and Performance Center (NHHPC) will give members an opportunity to collaborate, network and share information.

21 Oct 2010

Partnership between institutions in high- and low-resource areas can improve pediatric sarcoma treatment

Raising the survival rate of children with sarcoma in low-income countries will require steps to diagnose the disease sooner, train cancer pathologists, expand radiation therapy services, create multi-specialty teams to review each case, and other actions, according to an international study led by Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center researchers. The findings will be presented at the 42nd Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) in Boston on Friday, Oct. 22.

21 Oct 2010

Employers not dropping coverage as Mental Health Parity law is enacted

American Medical News: The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act hasn't made employers drop coverage as some feared it might. The full effects won't be felt until early 2011 as health plans begin their new enrollment years, but "[e]arly indications ... are that relatively few employers are dropping mental health coverage in response to the law's mandate, a concern of some of the bill's opponents."

21 Oct 2010

Idaho halts Medicaid cuts for dental care; Georgia and justice department reach accord on mental health services

Gov. C.L. 'Butch' Otter removed a political abscess Tuesday, restoring all previously contracted dental care providers to the state's Medicaid-funded Idaho Smiles program.

21 Oct 2010

Cost of health plans rise, but health law only one reason

Most Ohioans will face higher health insurance premiums starting in January with hikes ranging from 8 percent to 18 percent giving rise to fresh complaints about the White House-backed health care law.

21 Oct 2010

HHS did not violate federal law for Medicare ads, GAO says

The Hill Healthwatch: "The Department of Health and Human Services did not violate federal prohibitions on publicity and propaganda with its health reform advertising and technical assistance contracts, the Government Accountability Office said Tuesday. Two HHS television ads, however, 'overstate one of (the law's) benefits,' GAO writes in a letter to Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). The lawmakers requested the office's legal opinion about the ads and HHS's contracts with MIT economist Jonathan Gruber.

21 Oct 2010

Unitedhealth says it will test lump sum payments for some cancer care, reports earnings

Health insurer UnitedHealth said Tuesday that it will test a new way payment method for cancer doctors. The program pays doctors a lump sum payment for providing care during an entire course of care for the disease instead of how it's done now with a fee for each service a doctor provides.

21 Oct 2010

C PORT Solutions releases new mobile computing platform for healthcare facilities

With the launch of MEDI PORT, C PORT Solutions is the world's first company to converge all forms of communication and collaboration with patient data, medical applications, and existing healthcare technologies so all healthcare professionals can diagnose or treat a patient with the highest level of care regardless of the healthcare professional's location.

21 Oct 2010

CMS head Berwick praises new center for Medicare and Medicaid innovation

The planned Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has the potential to be the 'jewel in the crown' of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Donald M. Berwick, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

21 Oct 2010

VA checklists save lives, study says

The Associated Press: Going through a "surgery checklist" to confirm the basic procedures of a planned operation can help save lives, according to a study of 74 Veterans Affairs hospitals. In the hospitals being studied, "Surgery team members all created checklists and discussed them in briefings before, during and after surgery," reviewing basic information such as the reason for the surgery and the identity of the patient.

21 Oct 2010

NYU Langone Medical Center announces establishment of Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center

NYU Langone Medical Center is pleased to announce that it has established The Smilow Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Center with a $5 million gift from Joel E. Smilow, a member of the Board of Trustees at NYU Langone Medical Center and New York University. The Smilow Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive, state-of-the-art personalized care for men with prostate cancer as well as educating men and their families about the disease and the wide range of treatment options available today.

21 Oct 2010

Health reform law news: HHS awards $30 million in consumer assistance grants

The Department of Health and Human Services says it will award $30 million in consumer assistance grants to help states and territories either establish or strengthen programs that provide direct services to patients related to their health insurance, Modern Healthcare reports.

21 Oct 2010

Candidates discuss Medicare, Medicaid spending

News outlets report on the role of Medicare and Medicaid spending in this year's elections.

21 Oct 2010

Business groups seek health care payment reforms

Businesses are continuing to seek health payment reform. Businesses are looking for ways to control costs, improve quality and reward successful treatments instead of paying more for readmissions and longer hospital stays.

21 Oct 2010

A new way to pay for chemotherapy

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "One of the nation's largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines - and limit profits doctors make by dispensing in-office chemotherapy drugs" (Appleby, 10/20).

21 Oct 2010

Beaumont Hospital announces opening of new Ernst Cardiovascular Center

Beaumont Hospitals' world renowned heart center has expanded and enhanced its services with the Oct. 18 opening of the new Ernst Cardiovascular Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.

21 Oct 2010

Thomson Reuters introduces new version of Clinical Xpert Navigator

Thomson Reuters, a global provider of information for healthcare professionals, has released the newest version of its award-winning Clinical Xpert Navigator mobile clinical data application.

21 Oct 2010